Before his death, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs stated that he was willing to go "thermonuclear" on Google and the manufacturers that produce devices running Android OS. It appears that current Apple CEO Tim Cook, however, is taking a softer approach on the warfront.

Apple and HTC have been in and out of court for years, battling over smartphone patents. Most recently, Apple lost its bid to ban HTC's One X and EVO 4G LTE over its claim of infringement on a "data tapping" patent. However, both companies announced yesterday that the two companies have reached a settlement on all pending litigation. All current lawsuits are being tossed and the two companies have entered into a ten-year licensing agreement.

Apple CEO Tim Cook [Image Source: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg]

“HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation,” said HTC CEO Peter Chou.

“We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.”

HTC has also made drastic cuts to its research and development programs while also scaling back its marketing efforts. Perhaps Apple just doesn't see much of a threat from HTC anymore, and was more willing to make a deal.

Apple still has a hard-on for Samsung, so we doubt that the boys from Cupertino will be reaching any licensing agreements with that South Korean electronics giant any time soon.

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